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It’s the first Anglia Car Auctions classic sale of the year, with the usual array of modern and future classics on offer, with prices to suit most budgets. The headline act is undoubtedly this 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL AMG, formerly owned by Beatles legend George Harrison All Those Years Ago. If you’ve got your mind set on placing a bid, read on to discover more about the Mercedes and some of the other cars going under the hammer in King’s Lynn.

Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL AMG – £50,000 – £70,000

Of all the Beatles, George Harrison was arguably the biggest car enthusiast, owning a succession of exotic motors and declaring a love of motorsport. He bought this Mercedes 500 SEL AMG new in 1984 and sent it straight to Strattons of Wilmslow where it was treated to lowered suspension, a body kit, interior upgrades and Penta alloy wheels. In total, the car plus upgrades cost £85,000, which might explain why Harrison kept it for 16 years, before passing it on to his friend, the percussionist Ray Cooper, in 2000.

It changed hands a few times since 2000, before being placed in storage in 2013. It remained there until 2017 and was sold at auction in March 2018, fetching £43,200. Since then, around £10,000 has been spent on recommissioning and a cosmetic refresh, which might explain why it’s expected to fetch more money at the ACA sale. My Sweet Lord, Isn’t it a Pity we can’t stretch to the pre-auction estimate.

Range Rover pick-up – £6,000 – £10,000

ACA hasn’t supplied any details of this Range Rover pick-up, but we know that it’s powered by its original 3.5-litre V8 engine and has around 134,000 miles on the clock. According to an old classified advert, the 1987 Range Rover was professionally converted to a pick-up and has been resprayed in Masai Red. It passed an MOT in September 2018 with no advisories.

Aston Martin DB5 – £450,000 – £525,000

This 1964 Aston Martin DB5 has been in the same family since 1972 and is being offered by the daughter of the third owner. The vendor explains: “I was working as a junior doctor in a hospital in London when I recognised the name of one of the patients. He was the owner prior to my father-in-law and his previous boss. I had never met him, and introduced myself. He was delighted that we still had his old car and remembered it very fondly. Needless to say, most doctors could not afford such a wonderful car these days and we are very lucky to have had stewardship of it for so long”.

BMW 3.0 CSI – £48,000 – £54,000

When BMW launched the fuel-injected 3.0 CSI, it put the devastatingly attractive E9 on the top table of the performance car world. With around 200hp, the 3.0 CSI could hit a top speed of 135mph, completing the 0-60mph sprint in less than eight seconds. This Turkis Blue example was the subject of a £22,000 restoration and its last MOT was in 2005.

Ford Capri 2.0 Laser – no reserve

The Laser was the last hurrah for the four-cylinder Ford Capri before ‘The car you always promised yourself’ bowed out in 1986. Which makes this 1986 example one of the last to leave the Cologne factory, although it could have been built earlier only to remain unregistered for a while, because Capri sales began to slow towards the end of its production run. There’s a stash of MOT certificates dating back to 2001, which will go a little way to verifying the ultra-low mileage of 14,018.

Alfa Romeo 33 – no reserve

It looks like something Jeremy Clarkson might have created for a Top Gear challenge, but it should prove a lot of fun on a track day. It comes without documents and was last used in 2016, while tweaks include Sparco seats and harnesses, a fully-welded roll cage, detachable Sparco steering wheel and a fire extinguisher. There’s no reserve, so grab yourself a bargain.

Ford Thunderbird – £16,000 – £20,000

Thunderbirds are go! If you think this Ford Thunderbird looks FAB, you’ll need to part with around £20,000. It was imported in 1999 and has spent the majority of its UK life in storage, but the vendor describes it as a “solid car”. All of this Dusky Pink elegance and sophistication could be yours for the price of a Ford Focus.

Ford Escort RS2000 – £19,000 – £24,000

Thanks to its polyurethane nose, the RS2000 is perhaps the most iconic of all of the performance Mk2 Escorts, but this thoroughbred is about so much more than a nose job. This particular example was imported into the UK in 1986 and has been treated to a “no expense spared” restoration. Upgrades include a race-tuned Burton 2.1 engine, a quick-shift five-speed gearbox, twin Weber carburettors, Sparco steering wheel, RS alloy wheels, safety harness and roll cage.

TVR Chimaera – £8,000 – £10,000

Production of the TVR Chimaera began in 1991, and by the time it bowed out in 2003, some 6,000 units had been produced. Its design was influenced by a dog, with Peter Wheeler’s German Pointer taking a bite out of the polystyrene model created during the car’s development. This Salmon Pink example is described by the vendor as driving extremely well and remaining in good order.

Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen – £15,000 – £20,000

Before the G-Wagen became all ‘Pimp My Premier League Ride’, this is how it used to roll. It’s a 1985 280 GE LWB with just 22,930 miles on the clock. Having spent its early years garaged in London, the owner drove it to a West Norfolk farm estate around 10 years ago, where it has remained ever since. Forget the new and expensive G-Class – this is where it’s at.

Mini Cooper – £6,000 – £8,000

A 2005 Mini Cooper might seem a little modern for a classic auction, but this one-owner car has a remarkable 3,488 miles on the clock. Supplied new by Listers of King’s Lynn, it comes with five main dealer stamps and a full set of MOT certificates dating back to 2008. You could spend up to £5,000 on a 2005 example with more miles on the clock, so the lower estimate isn’t totally unreasonable.

Lancia Fulvia Zagato – £24,000 – £27,000

Messing with the disarmingly pretty Lancia Fulvia Coupe might seem like a sacrilegious act, but in fairness to Zagato, the styling house got this one spot on. This 1972 example was stored from around 2000 to 2016, covering just 450 miles during that time. It was featured in a magazine in January 2018.

Austin 1300 Countryman – £7,000 – £9,000

Back in the day, the Austin and Morris 1100 and 1300 were among the most popular cars in Britain. It’s not hard to see why, because the ‘big Mini’ was cheap to buy and run, good to drive and, thanks to its Pininfarina styling, rather good looking. The estate versions, known as the Morris Traveller or Austin Countryman, added a dash more practicality. This 1972 example looks like a little gem, with just 16,200 miles on the clock. It has spent 45 years in Guernsey, where the milder climate will have contributed to its “lovely condition”. It’s cheaper and more appealing than a new crossover.

Jaguar E-Type V12 – £37,000 – £42,000

There are no fewer than eight Jaguar E-Types on offer at the ACA sale, including seven left-hand-drive examples from a private collection in Denmark. Which makes this one the only right-hand-drive E-Type in the sale. It was supplied new in 1971 by Henlys, London, but it’s far from original. In 1985, it was treated to a restoration, including a colour change to period Willow Green. In 2005, around £13,000 was spent on an engine overhaul and fuel injection conversion.

Triumph Dolomite – £2,000 – £3,000

This looks like a presentable and ready-to-use Triumph Dolomite 1500 automatic. The vendor recently spent £1,000 on a service, new hoses, alternator, battery and conversion to unleaded fuel. According to ACA, everything works, which is reassuring.

Buick Riviera – £14,000 – £16,000

The Riviera name dates back to the 1940s, but became a standalone Buick model in 1963. This is a very late first-generation car – the Mk2 Riviera arrived in 1966 – and as such, it features headlights concealed behind clamshell doors. Sales in 1965 totalled 34,586, contributing to a total of around 112,000 for the first-generation model. This car comes complete with the ‘4 RXY’ number plate and has been in the UK since 2012.

Lotus Seven – £21,000 – £24,000

We could say they don’t make ‘em like they used to, but in the case of the Lotus Seven, that’s not strictly true. But while a new Caterham would be nice, an original Seven is somehow more evocative. Or maybe we’ve watched too many re-runs of The Prisoner. Whatever, this 1965 S2 spent some years in Australia and has covered 68,201 miles.

Chrysler Wimbledon – £15,000 – £20,000

This Chrysler Wimbledon was formerly owned by the late Keith Moon, but we don’t believe it ever ended up in a swimming pool. It does, however, come with a logbook confirming Moon’s ownership, including the drummer’s signature. If you fancy this huge slice of Americana – Who wouldn’t – the Anglia Car Auctions classic sale is taking place on Saturday 26 January 2019.

More than 250 cars went under the hammer as part of Anglia Car Auctions’ July classic sale this weekend – with something to suit all budgets, from a £125 Austin Metro to a £115,000 BMW 3.0 CSL. Although marketed as a classic car auction, modern classics proved to be the real hot property. Here are 10 modern classics that caught our eye.

More modern classics on Motoring Research:

E39 BMW M5

Guide price: £7,000 – £8,000Hammer price: £7,000

Powered by a 400hp V8 combined with a six-speed Getrag manual ’box, the E39 M5 is as desirable today as it was when launched in 1998. This example, finished in desirable Le Mans Blue, isn’t the tidiest left in existence – showing 131,000 miles on the clock and in need of a bit of TLC to the bodywork. Still, its hammer price of £7,000 makes it a very tempting buy. Don’t forget, though – like all cars here, it’s subject to an extra 5% (plus VAT) in auction fees.

Renault Sport Spider

Guide price: £22,500 – £25,500Hammer price: £19,500 (unsold)

A bizarre French rival to the Lotus Elise… what’s not to like? The Renault Sport Spider, launched in 1996, combined an aluminium chassis with plastic composite bodywork. Power came from a mid-mounted four-cylinder engine producing 150hp which, helped by a 930kg kerbweight, accelerated the Spider to 62mph in 6.5 seconds.

One of just 60 examples in the UK, this example looks to be among the best. It’s covered just 5,000 miles and, judging by our quick walk-around at the auction, they don’t seem to have been spent on track. Surprisingly, it fell short of its £22,500 to £25,500 guide price – remaining unsold at £19,500.

Peugeot 306 GTi 6

Guide price: £4,750 – £5,750Hammer price: £4,200

If the 205 GTi is anything to go by, French hot hatches definitely have investment potential. The newer 306 GTi 6 is a long way from being as desirable as the 205, but good examples are getting harder to find. This one, although not mint, is probably one of the tidiest on the market. It’s covered 62,000 miles and comes with full service history – a must when shopping with investment in mind. It sold for £4,200, falling short of its £4,750 to £5,750 estimate.

Ferrari 456GT

Guide price: £48,000Hammer price: £58,000 – £65,000

Ferraris are traditionally hot property at auction – but reports suggest the market appears to have been slowing down as late, with a number of desirable models failing to meet their reserve. The 456 isn’t old enough to make serious money, as evidenced by this tidy example from 1994 selling for just £48,000 at auction – £10,000 short of its lower estimate. Admittedly it’s covered 55,000 miles – not a huge amount, but high enough to knock its value in Ferrari terms (collectors prefer examples that have been dry-stored from new).

Honda Beat

Guide price: £5,250 – £6,250Hammer price: £4,700

This plucky little Honda Beat is showing 111,773km on the clock (that’s around 70,000 miles), with a full rebuild for its tiny 656cc engine 5,000 miles ago. Designed as a Kei car to benefit from strict Japanese tax rules, the Beat makes an MX-5 of the same vintage look massive. This example has lots of history, apparently, and looked to be in great condition in the auction hall. Surprisingly, it sold for £4,700 – falling short of its £5,250 to £6,250 estimate.

Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000

Guide price: £7,000 – £8,500Hammer price: £7,800

Many fast Imprezas have been abused, crashed or are dodgy Japanese imports lacking history – so finding a rare UK Turbo 2000 in this condition is a novelty. Incredibly, it’s covered just 34,000 miles with its one owner and comes with a history book boasting 18 stamps. It would definitely be a sound investment, we reckon, and its 211hp turbocharged flat-four makes it quick enough to still be fun today.

Jaguar XJR

Guide price: no reserveHammer price: £1,800

As bargain barges go, the X308-shape XJR is surely at the bottom of its depreciation curve. This 2001 example isn’t the tidiest, having covered 137,000 miles, and not everyone will appreciate the rare solid red paint. As the hammer nearly fell at £1,000, we were close to putting in a bid – that’s incredible value for a car powered by a 4.0-litre V8 and capable of hitting 60mph in 5.0 seconds flat. Fortunately, the rest of the auction hall woke up at this point, and it ended up making £1,800 plus fees.

E46 BMW M3

Guide price: £8,000 – £10,000Hammer price: £8,100

Talking about desirable cars at the bottom of their depreciation curve… the E46-shape M3 can be had for as little as £7,000 now, and represents a true performance bargain. While buying one from auction would be a brave move (they’re not short of issues – from cracking rear subframes to big-end bearing failure), this Laguna Seca Blue version quite literally caught our eye. It’s a convertible, which wouldn’t be our first choice, but it at least comes with a hard top. Selling for £8,100, it scraped over its lower estimate.

Porsche Boxster S

Guide price: £5,500 – £6,500Hammer price: £5,600 (provisional)

The Boxster 986 is another modern classic bargain in our eyes, especially in 3.2-litre S guise. Old enough to be affordable, yet new enough to be usable, the mid-engined Boxster makes for a very tempting buy. There are a few caveats, though. For a start, there are still plenty around, so values are unlikely to rise anytime soon. Plus, there are plenty of known issues, so it’s worth doing your research. Hunt out a good one with lots of history and you could be onto a winner.

This example has covered close to 120,000 miles and is lacking a few stamps in its service book, which would make us wary. But it’s bright yellow and provisionally sold for £5,600… which could be cheap enough to compensate for any potential problems.

Opel Speedster (Vauxhall VX220)

Guide price: £13,000 – £17,000Hammer price: £12,600

The Opel Speedster (sold in the UK as the Vauxhall VX220) is said to be the thinking man’s Lotus Elise. It shared many parts with the Lotus, but with a more useable 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine. This one has an interesting history, bought new by a Vauxhall engineer and unregistered until 2013. It’s covered just 3,000 miles since then, meaning it remains in as-new condition. It’s spent the last three years of its life on display at a local Vauxhall dealer.

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